2015 - 2016 Archived ASW Listserv Communications

These are the messages shared on the ASW Listserv during 2015 - 2016. They are posted in reverse chronological order, so the most recent is first.

If you would like to see the current list of ASW Listserv messages, please go to ASW Listserv Communications, which can also be accessed by clicking on the Timeline link on the left-side navigation bar and viewing the top of the wikipage.

6.13.16 ASW Updates

Greetings,

Thank you to all of the teachers who have been working through error messages diligently to complete the ASW process over the weekend and today. Truenorthlogic is still working to improve their infrastructure so that the system works more quickly for everyone logging in this week.

Here are a few updates and reminders:

1. Thanks to the efforts of determined teachers, we now know that clicking your browser's refresh button between uploading each file or clicking "Save" for your context significantly reduces, if not eliminates entirely the error messages. Each time you upload a file, refresh your browser and then proceed to upload your next file. This method should also work for entering context.

2. We are aware that the overall status icons for Semester Two and the entire year do not always match the actual status of a teacher's Evidence Collection. This means that a teacher could successfully upload and submit the collection and still not receive a final green check for the entire process. Please know that I have addressed the issue with TNL and they are working on a fix for this as quickly as possible.

3. Despite what you might have heard, the ASW Online Platform will remain open throughout the week providing enough time for teachers to complete their uploads. End of Year Processing for the TNL system will not begin until later this summer. Teachers should be able to access the entire NCEES system through their regular paths (NC EdCloud, Schoolnet, etc.) throughout the upload window.

4. The final deadline to submit Evidence Collections is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17.

Thank you for all of your hard work and patience as we close out the 2015-2016 ASW Process.

Best,Jen

6.10.16 ASW Upload Errors

Greetings and Happy Friday!We have received reports of teachers encountering errors when attempting finalize their Evidence Collections in the Provide Evidence of Student Growth step. TNL is aware of the issue and believes it might be related to the large number of individuals working in the system attempting to finish the ASW process over the last 36 hours.

I recommend teachers spend a little time out of the system compiling artifacts, renaming files (to remove identifying information) and typing answers to Narrative Context and Frequency & Duration in word documents so that they can be more efficiently copied and pasted into the platform.

As a reminder, the deadline to submit Evidence Collections is one week from today at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 17.

Thank you for your patience and have a wonderful weekend!

Best,Jen

5.23.16 ASW Updates

Good morning everyone!A few quick reminders about the ASW Process:

The window for Student Selection and Uploading Evidence runs from May 23 (today!) – June 17, which has been extended one week from the original dates posted to accommodate the end of year activities for teachers.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the ASW wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/FAQ) is updated on an ongoing basis. If you have a question, check to see if the answer is already there!

Best,Jen

Reminders for 2015-2016 ASW Process through June

Greetings!

Here are a few reminders about the ASW process as we finish up the 2015 - 16 implementation:

The Student Selection window will open on May 23 for teachers who have chosen to do Individual Student Work Samples for a Timelapse Artifact. Please see the Student Selection screencast posted on the Screencast page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts) of the ASW wiki for details.

Information about writing the Context is available on the ASW wiki in:

Lessons learned from the 2014 - 2015 ASW implementation are available for each content area. Please go to the Virtual Meetings page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/VirtualMeetings) on the ASW wiki and view the November 12 broadcast materials at the bottom of the page, particularly the 6-minute clips for each area:

oArts Education

oAP/IB

oHealthful Living

oWorld Languages

The Evidence Upload window will be open from May 23 - June 17 at 5:00 p.m., which has been extended one week from the original date to accommodate the close of schools on different schedules. Please see the Provide Evidence of Student Growth screencast at http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts for details on how to upload documents for Timelapse Artifacts.

Note: All teachers are strongly encouraged to plan ahead so that they are uploading Timelapse Artifact documents well before the June 17 deadline.

Best,Jen

4.12.16 ASW Updates

Greetings!

Below you will find important updates related to the Analysis of Student Work (ASW) process for both the 15-16 and 16-17 school years.

On Thursday, April 7, 2016, the State Board of Education voted to eliminate Standard 6 for teachers and Standard 8 for principals as standalone standards in the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System.

All processes related to the determination of student growth for teachers and schools will continue. Student growth measures include the Analysis of Student Work (ASW), NC Final Exams, CTE Post-Assessments, K-3 Checkpoints, End-of-Course and End-of-Grade assessments.

Data and ratings from student growth measures will be provided to principals to use when evaluating their teachers.

This policy change will be reflected in the ASW training materials for the 2016 – 2017 implementation of the ASW process.

For ASW implementation in 2015-2016:

Through May 23, teachers using the ASW process for their student growth measure are collecting evidence on their chosen objectives.

The window for Student Selection and Uploading Evidence will run from May 23 – June 17, which has been extended one week from the original dates posted to accommodate the end of year activities for teachers.

ASW Reviewer applications will be available soon. Like last year, details will be posted on the ASW wiki and messages shared on the listservs about the application process.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the ASW wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/FAQ) is updated on an ongoing basis. If you have a question, check to see if the answer is already there!

For ASW implementation in 2016-2017:

The ASW training materials for 2016 – 2017 will be updated to reflect the changes in State Board Policy TCP-C-006: Policy on Standards and Criteria for Evaluation of Professional School Employees.

A video highlighting local ASW implementation strategies presented by district representatives from Caldwell, Davidson, and Guilford is now available on the ASW Wikispace and at this link.

Samples from Timelapse Artifacts submitted in 2014-2015 are being pulled and readied for use in ASW training materials.

The 2016-2017 timeline for ASW implementation will follow a similar schedule as the 2015-2016 timeline, and will be posted this summer on the ASW Wikispace.

2016-2017 Local Option Application:

Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the Department is providing local flexibility to districts who wish to develop their own student growth process in lieu of participation in the state ASW process. Districts are not required to develop their own local processes and may participate in the state ASW process. Applications for local flexibility must be approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education.

The final deadline for local flexibility applications to be considered by the State Board of Education is May 20, 2016.

1/26/16 ASW Semester Evidence Upload Information

Greetings,

We have heard reports of semesterly teachers being unable to “Mark Complete” on the Provide Evidence of Student Growth step. NCDPI has been working with the online platform vendor (Truenorthlogic) on a quick resolution for this issue. TNL will be deploying a fix for this problem over the weekend, meaning that teachers will be able to finalize and Mark Complete beginning on Monday, February 1.

In the meantime:

Teachers can continue uploading and entering Narrative Context/Frequency & Duration into the Provide Evidence of Student Growth step – all of the work will be saved.

Feel free to use this opportunity to revisit the site later this week to check your work once everything has been uploaded to ensure that you have provided all necessary information and that your files were properly uploaded before finalizing and Marking Complete next week.

Remember that the second semester Class Validation and Principal Approval will begin as scheduled on February 8. For more details about the second semester timeline, please review the ASW Timeline for 2015-2016 on the wiki (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/15-16Implementation).

Stay warm and safe!

Best,Jen

ASW Semester 1 Student Selection/Evidence Upload Window Updates

Greetings,Thank you for your patience as TNL has worked to correct the Student Selection error. The problem has been resolved and teachers on Semesterly ASW plans can now complete the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps for Semester 1.The Student Selection and Evidence Upload window will be extended one additional week to accommodate the time lost last week. The window will now end on Monday, February 8. The 15-16 ASW Timeline on the wikispace has been updated to reflect this change (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/15-16Implementation).

Reminders:1. Only teachers on Semesterly ASW plans need to complete the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps at this time.2. Teachers must complete the Student Selection and Evidence Upload steps for all three objectives chosen during the first semester. If a teacher had one or more yearly classes selected during the first semester class selection step, the teacher must upload and submit evidence for objectives associated with those classes at this time.3. Help videos and documents for completing these steps are posted on the ASW Wiki Screencasts page (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts). Please review the screencasts for instructions on completing these steps.4. Semesterly ASW teachers should take this opportunity to confirm that they have selected three objectives for Semester 1 according to the objective selection guidance available on the ASW Wikispace (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources). Any teachers who believe they have incorrectly chosen objectives and need to make changes after the Choose Objectives step has been Marked Complete should contact their TNL District Administrators for assistance.

Best,Jen

1/14/16 ASW Student Selection Error Update

Good afternoon,

I have received word from Truenorthlogic that they have been testing a fix for the current error message displaying on the Student Selection step, but it will not be ready to deploy today. I am hopeful that we will see a resolution to this problem by the weekend. In the meantime, here are a few things to keep in mind:

DPI will extend the window of time teachers have to complete these two steps to make up for the time lost by this delay. The 2015-2016 timeline on the ASW Wikispace will be updated accordingly as soon as the extension has been determined.

Teachers on Semester ASW plans should already have collected Point 1 and Point 2 evidence for all students on the three semester 1 objectives. Teachers should not be waiting to see which students were selected before collecting Point 2 evidence.

Semesterly ASW teachers should take this opportunity to confirm that they have selected three objectives for Semester 1 according to the objective selection guidance available on the ASW Wikispace (http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Teacher+Resources). Any teachers who believe they have incorrectly chosen objectives and need to make changes after the Choose Objectives step has been Marked Complete should contact their TNL District Administrators for assistance.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we wait for a resolution on this issue.

Best,Jen

1/13/16 ASW Student Selection Error Update

Good morning,

Teachers on Semester ASW plans attempting to access the ASW Student Selection step are still encountering error messages today. Truenorthlogic has been working on the problem since Monday. They believe they have identified the source of the issue and are working today to deploy a solution.

We will, of course, extend the Student Selection and Evidence Upload windows as needed to ensure teachers have plenty of time to complete both steps.

As soon as TNL is able to resolve the problem, I will send out another message on this listserv which will then be shared on the ASW content area listservs.

Thank you for your patience.

Best,Jen

1/11/16 ASW Student Selection Error Message

Good morning!

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday season.

This morning, teachers attempting to complete the ASW Student Selection step are experiencing unexpected errors. I have already reported this issue to Truenorthlogic for resolution. I will send out another email as soon as the vendor has been able to correct the problem.

Thank you for your patience.

Jen

11/12 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Lessons Learned from 2014-2015

Good afternoon,

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is offering a virtual meeting on Thursday, November 12, to discuss the ASW results from 2014 – 2015, the first year that the ASW process was available as a statewide Standard 6 measure.

This virtual meeting will be broadcast on Thursday, November 12, from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Lessons learned from year 1 implementation will be shared, as well as data and trends in each content area, and information important to planning for success in the 2015 - 2016 ASW implementation.

Disclaimer: Questions about an individual’s ratings cannot be answered.

This session is for all educators who will be impacted by Standard 6 ratings from the 2014 – 2015 implementation of the ASW process, including teachers who have submitted Evidence Collections, district and school coordinators, and local trainers who will be conducting professional development for the 2015 – 2016 ASW implementation.

This session will be recorded and the video archive, with the presentation slides and any other materials discussed during the webinar, will be posted early the following week.

10/15/15 ASW Updates

Greetings,

Thank you to the more than 6700 teachers who have been working in the ASW system to complete the final schedule validation! Below are important updates regarding the ASW process.

Completing the Final Schedule Validation – Extension through 10/23While many teachers have completed the final schedule validation, intermittent PowerSchool issues have delayed the process for other teachers. You will be able to complete the final schedule validation next week if you are unable to finish your final schedule validation today.Please remember that you can access the ASW System directly by logging in through IAM Cloud and clicking on NCEES (North Carolina Educator Effectiveness System). You do not need to go through PowerSchool.

Class Selection Window – October 16 – 23The Class Selection window will open as planned beginning on October 16 for teachers who have completed the final schedule validation and are ready to complete the next step.A screencast covering the class selection activity is available on the ASW Wiki: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.

Objective Selection Window – October 26 – 30The Objective Selection window officially opens October 26. However, once a teacher reviews the classes selected by the ASW system, the teacher will be able to choose objectives for the selected classes. Please do not feel rushed to complete the Objective Selection activity, but do know that it will be available for you to complete early if you choose.A screencast covering the objective selection activity is available on the ASW Wiki: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.

ASW: Final Class Schedule Validation 10/9-10/15

Greetings,

Thank you for your patience and diligence in correcting ASW schedule information over the past few weeks!

Starting on Friday morning, October 9, teachers will be able to complete the final class schedule validation. The window for completing the final validation is 10/9-10/15. Schedule information that was corrected during the practice validation will be visible in the ASW system by Friday. If your schedule was corrected, please wait until the new schedule data is loaded before completing your final validation.

Note: While the new schedule data is becoming visible in the ASW system, teachers might experience a period of time in which the section number information after the course code looks different. If that happens, please logout and try to validate your schedule later in the day.

Here are some important reminders and clarifications for completing the Final Class Schedule Schedule Validation:

1. Double check to ensure the classes listed in the ASW Online Platform match your classes in PowerSchool. REMEMBER: The ASW system only displays the state course code, which is 7 digits long. You might see additional numbers or letters in PowerSchool that will not be displayed in the ASW system. You will want to compare the first 7 digits of the course code and the section number listed in PowerSchool to what you see displayed in the ASW system.

2. Verify that you have been assigned the correct ASW Plan Type: Yearly (for teachers with traditional class schedules) or Semesterly (for teachers with different classes each semester, quarter, etc.). If you believe you have the wrong plan type, your principal can change the plan type by following these directions:a. Click on “My Staff”b. Scroll down to the teacher whose plan needs to be changedc. Click on the drop down menu under “ASW Type”d. Select the correct plan (either Year or Semester)

Note – The plan type will update overnight, so you will not see the new plan until the following day after your principal makes the change. Then, you will be able to do the final class schedule validation.

3. Teachers with 9-week or 6-week classes should only validate “Yes” to those classes that will be in session during the second half of the fall semester. Classes during the first half of the semester will will be concluding before the Class and Objective selection steps are completed.

DPI has created a brief screencast demonstrating how to validate the class schedule. The screencast and accompanying script has been posted to the ASW Wiki and can be accessed here: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.

9.25.15 ASW Class Validation Updates

Greetings,

Thank you to the more than 4000 teachers who have logged into the ASW system this week to complete the practice schedule validation!

Teachers may continue logging in to the ASW system to complete the practice validation and reach out to school data managers to make any necessary corrections in PowerSchool until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30. Any changes made in PowerSchool after 5:00 p.m. on 9/30/15 will not show up in the ASW system during the final schedule validation.

Here are some important reminders and clarifications for completing the Practice Schedule Validation:

1. Double check to ensure the classes listed in the ASW Online Platform match your classes in PowerSchool. If your classes DO NOT MATCH, please contact your school data manager to correct the classes in PowerSchool as soon as possible. REMEMBER: the ASW system only displays the state course code, which is 7 digits long. You might see additional numbers or letters in PowerSchool that will not be displayed in the ASW system. You will want to compare the first 7 digits of the course code and the section number listed in PowerSchool to what you see displayed in the ASW system.

2. Verify that you have been assigned the correct ASW Plan Type: Yearly (for teachers with traditional class schedules) or Semesterly (for teachers with different classes each semester, quarter, etc.). If you believe you have the wrong plan type, your principal can change the plan type by following these directions:

a. Click on “My Staff”b. Scroll down to the teacher whose plan needs to be changedc. Click on the drop down menu under “ASW Type”d. Select the correct plan (either Year or Semester)

Please note – the plan type will update overnight, so you will not see the new plan until the following day after your principal makes the change.

3. At the conclusion of the practice validation, all of the schedule information will be re-loaded into the Online Platform for you to complete the Final Schedule Validation. Please do not complete any steps other than the schedule validation at this time.

4. Your principal does NOT need to complete the principal approval step during this practice validation.

DPI has created a brief screencast demonstrating how to validate the class schedule. The screencast and accompanying script has been posted to the ASW Wiki and can be accessed here: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.

ASW Practice Validation 9/18-9/25

Greetings!

I am happy to announce that it’s time to begin the ASW Practice Schedule Validation!

As of Friday morning, September 18, teachers can log into the NCEES platform and perform the practice schedule validation. The window for completing the practice schedule validation is September 18 – September 25. It is important that teachers log into the platform and complete the practice validation to ensure that scheduling information is correct.

Here are some important reminders for completing the Practice Schedule Validation:

1.Double check to ensure the classes listed in the ASW Online Platform match your classes in PowerSchool. If your classes DO NOT MATCH, please contact your school data manager to correct the classes in PowerSchool as soon as possible.2.Verify that you have been assigned the correct ASW Plan Type: Yearly (for teachers with traditional class schedules) or Semesterly (for teachers with different classes each semester, quarter, etc.).3.At the conclusion of the practice validation, all of the schedule information will be re-loaded into the Online Platform for you to complete the Final Schedule Validation. Please do not complete any steps other than the practice schedule validation at this time.4.Your principal does NOT need to complete the principal approval step during this practice validation.

DPI has created a brief screencast demonstrating how to validate the class schedule. The screencast and accompanying script has been posted to the ASW Wiki and can be accessed here: http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Screencasts.

8/11 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Implementation for 2015-2016

Greetings,

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is offering virtual meetings during July and August in preparation for the 2015-2016 implementation of the Standard 6 ASW Process.

The fourth virtual meeting will be broadcast on Tuesday, August 11, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Eastern. An overview of the ASW process will be given, along with an enhanced 2015 – 2016 timeline and samples of Timelapse Artifacts from one or more of the content areas using the ASW process. The virtual space will open 15 minutes before the start of the broadcast.

This session is for all educators who will be utilizing the ASW process for Standard 6 in 2015 - 2016, including teachers who will be submitting Evidence Collections and local trainers who will be conducting professional development.

8/7 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Implementation for 2015-2016

7/28 Virtual Meeting Recording Posted

The second in a series of summer ASW virtual meetings aired on Tuesday, July 28. Information about the Online Module and Screencasts, with an emphasis on the updates and/or revisions of these materials for 2015-2016 was shared. If you weren’t able to listen in, the recorded broadcast is now posted on the Virtual Meetings page of the ASW Wiki - http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/VirtualMeetings.

8/7 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Implementation for 2015-2016

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will be offering virtual meetings during July and August in preparation for the 2015-2016 implementation of the Standard 6 ASW Process.

The third virtual meeting will be broadcast on Friday, August 7, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Eastern. An overview of the ASW process will be given, along with an enhanced 2015 - 2016 timeline and samples of Timelapse Artifacts from one or more of the content areas using the ASW process. The virtual space will open 15 minutes before the start of the broadcast.

This session is for all educators who will be utilizing the ASW process for Standard 6 in 2015 - 2016, including teachers who will be submitting Evidence Collections and local trainers who will be conducting professional development.

7/28 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Professional Development

7/10 Virtual Meeting Recording Posted

The first in a series of summer ASW virtual meetings aired on Friday, July 10. An overview of the ASW process was shared, along with the 2015 - 2016 ASW timeline and course code list. If you weren’t able to listen in, the recorded broadcast is now posted on the Virtual Meetings page of the ASW Wiki - http://ncasw.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/VirtualMeetings.

7/28 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Professional Development

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will be offering virtual meetings during July and August in preparation for the 2015-2016 implementation of the Standard 6 ASW Process.

The second virtual meeting will be broadcast on Tuesday, July 28, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Information about the Online Module and Screencasts will be shared, with an emphasis on the updates and/or revisions of these materials for 2015-2016. The virtual space will open 15 minutes before the start of the broadcast.

This session is for everyone involved in local professional development on implementing the ASW Process.

7/10 ASW Virtual Meeting: ASW Process for Standard 6

The Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Team at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will be offering virtual meetings during July and August in preparation for the 2015-2016 implementation of the Standard 6 ASW Process.

The first virtual meeting will be broadcast on Friday, July 10, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Eastern. An overview of the ASW process will be shared, along with the 2015 - 2016 ASW timeline and course code list. The virtual space will open 15 minutes before the start of the broadcast.

This session is particularly relevant for year-round schools and those who will be implementing the ASW process for the first time during 2015 - 2016.

As you know, the deadline for teachers to submit their Evidence Collections to the ASW Online Platform was Friday, June 19 at 5:00 p.m. After the deadline, the Online Platform was closed and teachers were unable to make any additional changes or submit their Evidence Collections.

NCDPI will collect information from districts on those teachers who were required to complete the ASW process. In the early fall, NCDPI will inform districts which teachers completed the ASW process and which teachers did not. Districts will need to communicate to NCDPI the reasons why teachers who were required to complete the process did not do so.

This information will be shared with the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education, at its discretion, will determine whether local education agencies (LEAs) will determine consequences for non-participation of eligible teachers, or whether the state will adopt policies regarding non-participation. Teachers who failed to complete the ASW process during the 2014-2015 school year will not receive a Standard 6 rating. The 3-year Standard 6 calculation for these teachers will begin in the 2015-2016 school year.

ADDENDUM: Teachers who were required to participate in 2014-2015 who did not complete the ASW Process will begin their Standard 6 calculation in the 2015-2016 school year but will not have the benefit of using their best 2 of 3 years' growth data.